The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuit devices for use in driving liquid crystal of liquid crystal display panels and also with thermal head printers as well as for use in driving stepping motors of quartz clocks.
The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuits of the insulated gate field effect transistor type with high withstanding/breakdown voltage structures, and more particularly to driver ICs such as ones for use in driving liquid crystals and driving the thermal sensitive paper resistivity or the like.
It also relates to semiconductor integrated circuit devices with built-in protective circuitry for protection of internal elements or components.
Especially preferably, it relates to semiconductor integrated circuits with a chip side length being extremely greater relative to the chip area, such as a semiconductor integrated circuit for use in driving a thermal head.
Prior known semiconductor devices for thermal heads (referred to as "T/H-ICs" hereinafter) are typically arranged to have switching functions of permitting current to flow in a plurality of resistors as linearly arrayed along a sheet of heat-sensitive paper in a way conformity with information to be printed. Data signals and control signals are transferred by electrically connecting external connection terminal electrodes for logical signals which are provided on the surface of a T/H-IC. In most cases a plurality of such T/H-ICs are used on the same ceramic substrate. When this is done, in order to eliminate phase shift or deviation otherwise occurring between neighboring ones of the T/H-ICs, data signals are sent forth by cascade connection among the T/H-ICs. On the other hand, in order to prevent phase deviation from occurring between the initial stage T/H-IC and the final stage T/H-IC, no cascade connection is used for control signals. In addition, an output signal for resistor drive is transferred by electrically connecting together a resistor-driving external connection terminal electrode provided on the surface of a semiconductor device and a resistive body on the same ceramic substrate.
In the prior art semiconductor devices for use with thermal heads (semiconductor integrated circuits), ceramic substrates have been employed which are significant in area ratio of lead wire regions on the surface thereof with production costs increased.